Dublin Marathon Race Report

Race day dawned at 6am, much earlier than I would normally get up for a 9 o'clock start. My usual routine would be to wake up closer to 730 or 745, change into my race gear, grab my bag and a Clif bar, and head out the door to the start. Not this time. This time, I was following the instructions and race day plan put together by Mary, my friend and coach, and I do nothing if not follow directions well when I decide to, and when I'm paying for them. So I got up at 6 and went to have some breakfast – three pieces of toast and two glasses of cranberry juice – just like I was told. There were quite a few people in the hotel's dining room, all runners trying to fuel up before the race. As a guy who has a hard time eating first thing in the morning, I sat in amazement watching some of the others wolf down a full Irish breakfast of eggs, ham, sausage, tomato, and toast.

I was back in the room by 645, where I cracked open my bottle of PowerAde (my favorite flavor – blue - brought over to Doha for me by my boss in Houston a few days before I left for Dublin) and a Clif bar. The next hour was spent sipping the PowerAde, dithering over what to wear during the race, and driving Holly nuts with text messages as she was trying to get ready. In the end, after all the back and forth in my mind between various outfits and jackets and whatnot, I ended up wearing what I originally picked out the night before. Go figure.

At 8am, I piled on all my layers (wind pants and a jacket to get me to bag check, lovely grey Qatar Airways PJs to wear to the start) and went to meet Holly and Eva in the lobby. No rain, but it sure was a cool (43 degrees), damp, foggy, and overcast morning. I was thankful for my hat and gloves. We walked to the bag check area in ten minutes or so, and Eva and I promptly got in line for the porta potties. We figured if we were going to stand around waiting to find Kevin, we might as well do it in line since they were already quite long. A lady from the race kept trying to be helpful by announcing over the loudspeaker that there were more porta-potties near the corrals, but since we were already in line, we opted to stay put. Good thing, too, because it turned out there were only four of them at our corral with a line twice as long as the one we stood in. When I got to the front of the line, I said my good-byes and good luck to Eva, and then Kevin, Holly, and I dropped off our bags and left for the start.

The starting area was one of the more poorly laid out ones that I've been to. The street you walk down to get there dumps you right at the front of the corral. With all the fencing and gating in the way, there's no place for you to go to easily get into the corral. They ought to take a page from Disney or Marine Corps and have you approach from the back of the corrals so you don't end up with a bunch of people, including us, climbing over the barriers near the front in order to squeeze in. Our timing worked out pretty well. We arrived just as they were playing the national anthem and sending off the wheelchair racers, giving me time to eat my pre-race gel, ditch my extra clothes (but keep my hat), tie my shoes, and get ready to go. Ten minutes later, we were off.

And then we stopped. The poor design of the start extended itself to the first turn. Less than 1/4 mile into the race, the course made a hairpin right turn of 120-130 degrees, and needless to say, there was mass congestion and a huge slowdown. We didn't actually stop, but we sure ended up shuffling pretty slowly around the turn before we could start running again.

A few miles into the race, as Kevin and I were yakking about our pace (I was determined to stick to my instructions from Mary which were to stay at 8:50 for 18 miles and then see how it feels from there), a guy running next to us mentioned that he wanted to break four hours too and asked if he could run with us. We told him we'd be happy for the company. We ended up with a really nice tour guide. His name was Steven, he'd run the race twice before, and knew all of the twists and turns and ups and downs of the course. He pointed out all kinds of interesting things along the way, gave us fun facts like Phoenix Park being the largest walled-in park in Europe, and made sure we knew when the inclines and hills were approaching and how long they'd last. As it turned out, his name might be Steven but he really goes by Steve or Sneggers judging by the signs his family and friends were holding up as we ran by them.

Anyway, back to the race. I did my part to keep us on pace, and Kevin did his part to keep pushing the pace so I paid attention. He was also great at reminding me when it was time to take my gels, which Mary had me doing every 30 minutes. That's a shitload of gels to be downing during a race, and I had some difficulty getting the ones down at 90 and 120 minutes. There's nothing like gagging on a chocolate Clif Shot and trying not to throw up as you're passing the photographers at the halfway point in the race. That might explain why there were only six pictures of me when I checked the MarathonFoto web site. I really don't remember too much of the course up to this point. Normally I'm just running marathons for fun and take time to look around at the scenery and the spectators, but not this time. I was in race mode the whole way and totally focused on running my pace, though we did have some good conversation too. I like to talk when I'm running, and fortunately Kevin and Steve do too.

18 miles came and went and I still felt pretty good. Running at pace was definitely getting harder, but I wasn't struggling any. Neither was Kevin. He was still trying to push us faster. I did notice that my gels weren't lasting a full 30 minutes anymore. I could feel my energy fading after 20 or 25 minutes, and Kevin noticed it too as he started prompting me earlier. I felt like I was in a Snickers commercial because once I got the gel down, I instantly felt better.

Just after mile 22, after we went up the last hill and highway overpass and started our way back into the center of the city, Kevin started pulling ahead and I gave up trying to keep up with him. He looked back a few times to make sure I wasn't falling apart and then took off like a rocket. The dude is just naturally fast. I ate my last gel, chatted with a woman who had been running with us for a few minutes about who was going to buy the beer after the finish, and tried to figure out a plan for the last few miles. I knew I'd be under four hours even if I slowed down a lot, so I thought about just cruising in, taking it easy, and having a look at the scenery on my way to the finish.  Then I came to my senses and just went for it. I wanted to see how well I could do based on all the hard work I'd put in.

The last two miles were extremely tough because I was out of gel (who knew that bringing 7 gels to a race wouldn't be enough), and I could feel my energy reserves declining rapidly. I didn't hurt any, there was no feeling of the dreaded Wall, and the wheels weren't coming off. I simply had to turn my brain off and let my competitiveness come out. I kept telling myself to RACE, not run, and just go as hard as I could until it was all over. I vaguely remember the huge crowds lining the streets around Trinity College, and never saw Kevin's wife Keri at mile 25 though I'm sure she was there. I was 100% in a zone where I kept my cadence high, my pace quick, and my eyes focused on finding the most efficient way past and around all the people in front of me.

Once I made the last left-hand turn around the College, I knew the finish was straight ahead and kicked into whatever high gear I had left. Crossing the line and seeing this on my watch was when it hit me that I'd done it. I'd busted my ass all summer long in the heat and humidity, I'd set a goal and trusted Mary's coaching and training to get me there, and I'd done it. I wasn't quite as choked up as I was after finishing my first marathon in Richmond seven years ago, but I did take a few minutes to pull myself together before finding Kevin for celebratory congratulations. He put three minutes on me in the last 3.5 miles. Like I said, the dude is fast.

While we were hanging out in the finishing area, the woman we'd been chatting with earlier came up and wanted to know how we did. She knew she'd finished after Kevin but before me, and joking said I'd been beaten by a girl. I asked her what her time was, and when she said 3:55, I showed her my watch and said "not beaten by a girl, first beer is on you." Sneggers also found us and was ecstatic that he'd finished under four hours. He was really grateful to have been able to run with us, and we really enjoyed having him along too.

After we received our medals and finisher shirts, we made our way over to the bag check area to get our warm clothes. The day hadn't really warmed up any, and the sweat evaporating made me colder and colder. Thankfully, I can overpack with the best of them and had some wind pants, a fleece top, and a windbreaker stuffed into my bag. A few minutes later, Holly arrived and was as thrilled with her new PR as Kevin and I were with ours. Off to the bar we went to celebrate and rehydrate. Nothing like a fresh pint of Guinness to toast a great race with good friends.

My official time of 3:53:46 is an 8-minute improvement over my previous best. It came with no bathroom stops, no cramps, and no Wall. And no rain either, which considering the race was in Dublin in late October I'm quite thankful for. All told, I couldn't have asked for anything more. I ran a great race, had a great time running with Kevin, and can finally put that 3 in front of my PR.

Speaking of PRs, everyone in our group of runners got a PR that day. Kevin - 3:50, Holly - 4:02, and Eva - 5:17. Can't beat that.

Day 4 - Baa Atoll

We only had two dives planned today because the captain wanted to make the crossing to North Ari Atoll in the afternoon. He made the right choice because the weather got worse as the day went on, making for another rough ocean passage. Once we reached North Ari, though, the weather improved dramatically. We saw the sun and blue sky for the first time all trip, the winds calmed down, and we had a peaceful night at anchor before our big five-dive day on Sunday.

Dive 1 - Dhonfan Thila
Camera stopped working during this dive. When I opened it up back on the boat, there were a few drops of water in the housing. Definitely need a new o-ring. Really nice swim-through at the start of the dive. Opening at 35', exit at 75'. Really fun to poke around inside. Fish highlights were a manta, Napoleon, turtle, snapper shrimp, and two morays getting cleaned by a shrimp under some coral.

Back on the dhoni, the dive crew dropped the screw-down piece of my regulator yoke overboard. Now I have to use theirs for the rest of the trip. Not happy!

Dive 2 - Horubadhoo Thila
Our last dive on Baa Atoll. Pretty much the same things we've seen before, although there were some bigger grouper & jacks. Got some really good shots of a mantis shrimp hiding in a hole. Found two grouper at a cleaning station at the end of the dive. So fun to watch the little fish dart in their mouths and out their gills.

Some shots of the seas as we crossed to North Ari. Not as bad as the first night, but still an uncomfortable 4-5 hour ride.

Day 3 - Baa Atoll

Dive 1 - Kaka Thila
Really nice dive to start the day. Strong current meant not working hard & drifting along the wall. Lots of eels, a few lionfish, and several sting rays. The first was 3-4' and swimming along the top of the reef. The second was on the sand next to a turtle. Got some really nice shots & video of the turtle. He was very patient with us taking so many pictures.

Dive 2 - Daravandhoo Thila
Two octopi! One was hiding in a hole along the wall. The second was out in the sand, so we got to see him changing color as he moved from the sand to the coral. Always amazes me how they do that. We spent a good 5 minutes or more watching & taking pictures. The end of the dive was spent surrounded by hundreds of thousands of tiny baitfish. They move like a wave or a cloud as they swim along the reef, always being watched by hungry jacks.

Dive 3 - Tupulu Wall
Long drift dive along the wall. No big fish, but one very large ray hiding under an overhang. Maybe 3-4' body and 3' tail. Very fun to watch. Lots of anemones and clownfish to play with. Hayat found one anemone totally closed up with one little clownfish peeking out from inside. Really cool! Some eels and lionfish to take more photos of. Very easy safety stop on top of the reef.

Dive 4 - Dhonfan Beru
Very relaxing afternoon dive. The clouds & rain made it necessary for us to have flashlights to be able to see at depth. Tons of giant clams. There was one or two almost everywhere you looked. I took some pictures of one group that had two large ones, one with a small one growing on the side of its shell. We came across 3 turtles during the dive, but they were much more skittish than the one this morning. Once we got within 3-4', they took off into the open water.

Only in Doha

Bernardo and I are sitting down at lunch at Thai Smile, a restaurant near the Corniche, when a security guy walks in. He starts asking people if they have a black Nissan parked out along the road. When I let him know that I think he's talking about my truck, he says I need to come with him. We head out to the road where I'm quite surprised to see that my truck is no longer there. He shows me it's now parked in the slip road lot on the other side of the street, a 6-lane one that runs parallel to the Corniche, and points me to the police officer. I asked the officer what happened, and he said the police had to move it. No explanation as to why, just that it had to be moved. Bernardo thinks the Emir must have been heading that way and they wanted to make sure no cars were parked on the side of the roads that he was traveling on. Good thing the security guy came by because I'd have been really confused had I finished lunch and found my car missing and moved like that. This place never ceases to amaze me.

Day 2 - Baa Atoll

We did four dives on Baa Atoll today. The first one doubled as a the check-out dive that we skipped on Wednesday afternoon. This was the first chance for the dive guides, Zinah and Panda, to see how everyone conducted themselves in the water. Because we were sharing a room, Hans and I got paired up as dive buddies. I figured this would be the arrangement for the week since Hans said he had hundreds of dive all around the world and had spent several months working and diving in the Florida Keys. Boy was I wrong. He had no steady buoyancy control and kept going up and down and all over the place, he crashed into a few people a couple of times, and ran out of air well before anyone else did. Zinah, poor guy, tried to get me to go up with Hans since we were "buddies," but I refused. I paid good money for my trip and wasn't going to have my dives get cut short by someone else's poor diving skills. I apologized to Zinah once back on the boat, and he understood completely. Before the second dive, he told me I'd be diving with Hayat, a really nice young woman from Bombay, for the rest of the trip. That worked out much better.

Dive 1 - Nelivaru Haa
A pretty dull dive. The rain & clouds made for a thoroughly grey environment underwater. No real colors at all. We did see two mantas, though, so the dive was a success in the end. The second manta came cruising by us as we were doing our safety stop. Very cool to have it so close. Other highlights - eels, mantis shrimp, and a lionfish.

Hans ran out of air really early, so I stayed with Flo & Dusanka. How can he burn through a 15 liter tank so quickly? Yikes! Good thing I can hang with the Swiss.

Dive 2 - Vilu Haa
More mantas. Lots of sand. Took pictures of eels, scallops, and small fish. This dive would've been really boring if the mantas hadn't come around. We saw 4 at different points of the dive. Tons of them feeding at the surface too. The plankton that's bringing them in is why the vis is so poor.

Dive 3 - Dhigu Thila
Saw a whale shark next to the boat during lunch. By the time the dhoni got back with the snorkel gear, he was gone. At least we got to see him for a few minutes from the boat.

Morays, big blue jellyfish (medusa?), lionfish, 2 scorpionfish. Had great fun watching Hayat play with a few clownfish. It kept sitting and rolling around in her palm. A very nice & relaxing dive drifting along the wall with the current. My picture taking is barely improving, but I'm doing the best I can. Need lessons.

Dive 4 - Aidhoo Wall
Very nice sunset dive. The four of us are making a really good buddy group. We use our air at similar rates, so no one has to feel bad about going up early. Lots of good pictures of eels and lionfish. So far, those are my most common subjects. Need to learn how to change F-stop and other settings to try to improve how the shots turn out.

Great first day of the trip. The boat is wonderful, the crew is super friendly & helpful, and the cook has been making us curries (lentil, chicken)! Yum!

Day 1 - Arrival

My flight arrived at 7:45, and it took less than 15 minutes to go through immigration, pick up my bags, and leave Customs. A group of us then hopped on a bus to the hotel down the road from the airport. It wasn't the best hotel I've ever been to, but it wasn't a bad place to spend the day. $55 got you use of the beach, pool, bar, shower facilities, and a 10-minute massage. After flying and sleeping in an airplane seat, that neck & back massage was the best part of the day.

Finally around 2:15, we all went back to the airport to meet the boat's crew and head out to our home for the next week. The dhoni has more room for divers than most dive boats I've ever been on.

The Carpe Vita

My room for the week. It's only slightly bigger than the bedrooms at ARV.

The main lounge where we had all of our dive briefings. Thanks to a good naval architect, the dining area was up one deck outdoors.

The weather was starting to turn nasty, so rather than do a check dive near the harbor, we all agreed to have the boat make the crossing to Baa Atoll right away. Turned out to be a good choice because the weather in North Male was even worse the next day, meaning we'd have been stuck there for two days, and the diving there isn't nearly as good as in the outer atolls. Even leaving when we did, it was still a pretty miserable crossing, seven hours of pounding into rough seas. A few people skipped dinner because they were feeling nauseous, and a few more popped pills afterwards trying to ward off becoming seasick.

I met Hans, my roommate for the week, just before dinner. First words out of his mouth were "you better not snore. If you do, we're going to have serious problems." I'll give you one guess who snored like a freight train during the whole trip. Needless to say, he's quite a piece of work. German guy, 62, bodybuilder, with earrings, nipple ring, and two old, faded tattoos. He was literally a walking caricature like Hans & Franz from the old SNL skits. Throw in the goofy faces he made all the time, and we had almost endless hours of unintentional comedy to laugh at.

Trip Note #1

First interesting trip note: the flight attendant just came to introduce herself to me because I'm "a special Privilege Club member," and then asked if I wanted a newspaper or anything else. She didn't do this with anyone else that I could see. I guess being a high mileage Silver member gets you a pseudo-personal flight attendant, but not an upgrade to First. Go figure.  

Posted with Blogsy